Shattered Gemstone by Kish Jeff

Author:Kish, Jeff
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-03-01T00:00:00+00:00

***

Di opens her eyes. Her head hurts, and she can hear the gentle flow of water. As her senses return to her, she suddenly realizes her hands can feel the flow of water as well.

She tries to snap up, only to find herself bound, straddled facedown over a log. Her legs and arms are draped over the sides, submerged in water. Though she pulls on her arms, they’re tied tightly to one another under the narrow tree, as are her legs. She cranes her neck enough to find Era and Fire talking nearby. “Era?”

“Di, you’re awake!” he exclaims as he hurries over to her.

“Awake?” she repeats as she tries to recall her situation, and she panics as she pieces together what must have transpired. “Wait, Era, what day is it?”

“Relax, you only slept through the night,” he assures her. “I didn’t hit you that hard.”

She glances to his hidden limb peeking out from under his cloak. “Your arm, it’s back?”

“Yep!” he boasts as he reveals and flexes it. “I mean, it’s not quite the same thing, but it gets the job done. Made carrying you a snap.”

Di finds herself both shocked and relieved by the sight. The guilt of that critical strike has long weighed on her soul, and she feels her burden lighten.

“I’m not the only one who has changed,” and he motions to her short hair. “Fire mentioned you cut it all off. I like your new look.”

“It’s-” she starts, suddenly feeling ashamed to be seen by Era like this. He doesn’t know she needs to cut it every few days to keep it so short.

“I’m sorry for the prison, Di,” Era says as he sits on the riverbank. “I’m sure you can understand why we have to take precautions.”

Di tugs at the ropes once more. “What is this?”

“Fire concocted it on the fly,” he explains. “Turns out it’s difficult to keep you from touching air. Your hands and feet are tied to each other under the water.”

“The ropes down there are reinforced with a thick layer of ice,” Fire adds, rather smugly. “They won’t break.”

“It’s a functional air shaper trap,” Era says. He taps the log, which is lodged firmly into the riverbed. “And don’t worry. I hardened the earth around this, so it isn’t going anywhere. You’ll be safe for six days.”

Her eyes bulge. “Six days?”

“Turns out a command lasts three days, then a runic stays powered for another three. I feel like waiting out the commands is enough, but Fire says you need to be weak when we release you.”

“You can’t do this!” she cries, tugging at her ropes. “Please, Era!”

“I don’t want to, but it’s too risky otherwise,” he says. “I mean, I know it doesn’t sound pleasant, but let this run its course and then you’ll be free.”

“It’s not that easy,” she continues to argue. “Bad things are going to happen if you keep me here. You have to trust me, Era. Let me out!”

“That’s not an option,” Fire says, resting her foot on the log.

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